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To complement Tom Fitzgerald’s Sunday feature on 49ers first-round pick Aldon Smith, I decided to look at a few of his games on ESPN3.com. The Missouri defensive end looked rather ordinary in Nebraska’s 31-17 humbling of the Tigers on Oct. 30. Smith appeared much more engaged in the Dec. 28, 27-24 Insight Bowl loss to Iowa. The disparity in his performances could reflect Smith’s continued recovery from the fibula bone he broke Sept. 18 against San Diego State. According to Fitzgerald, Smith hurried back from the injury and subsequently played in pain. The Nebraska loss was only Smith’s second game after missing three games with the injury.

The 49ers Aldon Smith is ferocious.

Understandably, Smith played tentatively in Lincoln and seemed content to allow his teammates make tackles while he stepped gingerly over piled up players. Against Iowa, Smith fared far better against the run and appeared willing to shoot gaps and thrust his facemask into the churning legs of running backs. Here are the overall impressions of Smith in the two games.

THE POSITIVES: Because of his long and powerful arms, Smith can shock a linemen if he gets a free shot to punch with both hands into a linemen’s chest. His first step is lightening fast and can he get into a linemen in a hurry, which makes his club move (entails slugging the upper arm of a linemen to knock him out of the way) so effective. He excels at thrusting himself between linemen. Also, like general manager Trent Baalke noted, Smith is always on his feet and keeps his eyes on the ball carrier even while hand fighting with blockers. He’s a fiery player, and at one point, you he could see him yelling at his fellow linemen after they allowed a long run, and he emotes after making a play. It looks as if he plays unselfishly. He often had outside containment responsibilities and he rarely jumped inside and lost containment in order to make a play.

THE NEGATIVES: As many mentioned, including Baalke, he plays too high. At 6-5 and lanky it might be difficult for him to sink his hips and be stout at the point of attack. He got knocked back easily when double-teamed. However, he’s only 20 and he has a lot to learn. Additionally his lack of leverage against the run could be as a result of his sore leg. He’s also likely to gain plenty of lower body strength as he ages and weight trains. Nevertheless, his lack of hunkering ability needs to be watched.

And while Smith is a terror as an inside pass rusher, he never beat the tackle to the outside. He doesn’t have that Derrick Thomas move where he gets off the ball quickly, and lowers his inside shoulder to knife through the tackle and get into the quarterback. At times, he looks raw and appears slow to recognize blocking schemes.

In sum, Smith is a somewhat unique player. He has the body of a pass rusher, with his length, but he plays like a quick defensive tackle with is quick inside moves. However, you have to play with leverage as a inside player, which is lacking in Smith’s game.

His success, particularly in his early career, will depend on how he is used. If the 49ers have him shoot gaps and play inside in the nickel defense, Smith could be effective as a rookie. However, playing him as an outside linebacker or rush end as a steady diet could stunt his development.